Jacob S. “Jack” Cristil, Mississippi State University’s legendary radio broadcaster,  never ceased to remind the Bulldog community to “wrap it in Maroon and White” throughout his career.
Cristil died Sept. 7 at the Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo, due to extended illnesses of cancer and kidney disease.
The Memphis, Tennessee, native and 88-year-old icon, served the Bulldogs for 58 years starting in 1953 until his retirement in 2011. The long-time radio voice called 636 football games since 1953, and almost 55 percent of all men’s basketball games played at MSU. He was the second-longest tenured college radio sportscaster in the nation at the time of his retirement.
Cristil’s wife of 33 years, Mavis Kelly Cristil, died in 1988. He is survived by his daughters Kay Cristil Clouatre of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Rebecca Cristil Nelson of Tupelo.
A World War II veteran, Cristil served as an aircraft engine mechanic in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was also a lay rabbi at Temple B’Nai Israel in Tupelo.
Funeral services for Cristil will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Holland Funeral Directors in Tupelo. Mississippi State University will host a public memorial service honoring Cristil Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Humphrey Coliseum.
Sid Salter, MSU’s chief communication’s officer and friend of Cristil’s, said writing Cristil’s biography (written after Cristil’s retirement in 2011 and titled Jack Cristil: Voice of the MSU Bulldogs) was an incredible experience and something he will never forget.
“During that time I got to know him. He was a marvelous human being. I grew up listening to him on the radio like a lot of kids in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” Salter said. “By the time I became a student here (MSU), I was in class with his eldest daughter. I really came to know him as a close friend.”
Salter reminisced on past events such as Cristil’s attendance to his daughter’s wedding in November, and going to Cristil’s house in Tupelo, after Cristil became ill.  
“I remember going to his house in Tupelo for what was the first MSU game he didn’t call. Jack was far from being down or a depressed kind of person and he was just very direct and honest. I knew Jack as a prince of a guy,” Salter said.
Describing the legendary bulldog icon as authentic and very distinctive, MSU Athletic Director Scott Strictlin, said Cristil’s style and voice can never be replaced.
“He always told it like it was, and I think that’s part of what made him a great broadcaster,” Strictlin said. “He represented MSU alumni, fans and students in a way that no one could. I think he stands for all ages and sports. There will never be another Jack Cristil.”
According to Salter, Cristil provided young sportscasters with inspiration and was very generous with his time.
“Everybody has a Jack story, some at best and some at worst, but I have never seen him in bad light,” he said. “He took his job very seriously. I have never known anyone that loved MSU or our programs more than Jack did. He saw himself as an ambassador not only for sports programs, but for the university.”
Cristil became an iconic figure for the Bulldog community just as cowbells ring the Hail State spirit, according to Salter.
“I knew he was really sick at the end, and I’m glad his suffering is over. For people of a certain generation he was probably the best sportscaster of all time. I think Jack put it perfect when he said during his retirement, ‘All good things must come to an end,’” he said.